GQEBERHA – Pilot Patrick Davidson won the 2026 AIR RACE X season finale, securing his second consecutive championship title for South Africa.

Racing for Team 77 in his Emotive-liveried Edge 540 V3, Davidson adds the 2026 crown to his breakthrough championship in 2025.

The successful title defence brings another international sporting achievement home to Gqeberha and the Eastern Cape.

Emotive, a European automotive aftermarket group based in Zug, Switzerland, supports Davidson’s AIR RACE X campaign.

The company renewed its backing after supporting his first championship-winning season, linking its Parts That Fly High campaign to the precision, preparation and performance of air racing.

AIR RACE X brings real aircraft and digital race presentation together. Pilots fly prescribed courses in high-performance aircraft at separate locations.

Recorded flight data allows their performances to be measured, judged and presented in a shared competition for audiences around the world.

From national champion to international pilot

Davidson’s career spans national aerobatic competition, the Red Bull Air Race Challenger Class and international display flying.

A six-time South African national aerobatic champion, he grew up in an aviation family and entered flying competitions at 12 with a safety pilot before competing solo at 17.

He won the opening round and finale of the 2025 AIR RACE X season to claim his first series title. Winning the 2026 finale and championship builds on that achievement with a successful defence against the international field.

ALSO READ: WATCH | Italian pilot lands plane on moving train in aviation world first